value of servicing rights retained on mortgage loans originated and sold. Subsequent to the initial recognition at fair value, MSRs are carried at the lower of amortized cost or fair value and amortized in proportion to the net servicing revenue expected to be earned. However, it is expected that any cash received with respect to these servicing rights, net of associated expenses, will increase Adjusted Earnings (and Adjusted EBITDA) in future periods.
Additionally, Adjusted Earnings calculations exclude certain unusual,one-time ornon-recurring items, if any. These items are excluded from Adjusted Earnings because the Company views excluding such items as a better reflection of the ongoing, ordinary operations of Newmark. Newmark’s definition of Adjusted Earnings also excludes certain gains and charges with respect to acquisitions, dispositions, or resolutions of litigation. Management believes that excluding such gains and charges also best reflects the ongoing operating performance of Newmark.
Adjustments Made to CalculatePost-Tax Adjusted Earnings
Because Adjusted Earnings are calculated on apre-tax basis, Newmark also intends to reportpost-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted stockholders. Newmark definespost-tax Adjusted Earnings to fully diluted stockholders aspre-tax Adjusted Earnings reduced by thenon-GAAP tax provision described below.
The Company calculates its tax provision forpost-tax Adjusted Earnings using an annual estimate similar to how it accounts for its income tax provision under GAAP. To calculate the quarterly tax provision under GAAP, Newmark estimates its full fiscal year GAAP income (loss) from operations before income taxes and noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries and the expected inclusions and deductions for income tax purposes, including expected grants of exchangeability to limited partnership units during the annual period. The resulting annualized tax rate is applied to Newmark’s quarterly GAAP income (loss) from operations before income taxes and noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries. At the end of the annual period, the Company updates its estimate to reflect the actual tax amounts owed for the period.
To determine thenon-GAAP tax provision, Newmark first adjustspre-tax Adjusted Earnings by recognizing any, and only, amounts for which a tax deduction applies under applicable law. The amounts includenon-cash charges with respect to grants of exchangeability, certain charges related to employee loan forgiveness, certain net operating loss carryforwards when taken for statutory purposes, and certain charges related to tax goodwill amortization. These adjustments may also reflect timing and measurement differences, including treatment of employee loans, changes in the value of units between the dates of grants of exchangeability and the date of actual unit exchange, variations in the value of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities and the different timing of permitted deductions for tax under GAAP and statutory tax requirements.
After application of these previously described adjustments, the result is the Company’s taxable income for Newmark’spre-tax Adjusted Earnings, to which the Company then applies the statutory tax rates. This amount is the Company’snon-GAAP tax provision. Newmark views the effective tax rate onpre-tax Adjusted Earnings as equal to the amount of Newmark’snon-GAAP tax provision divided by the amount ofpre-tax Adjusted Earnings.
Generally, the most significant factor affecting thisnon-GAAP tax provision is the amount ofnon-cash charges relating to the grants of exchangeability to limited partnership units. Because thenon-cash charges relating to the grants of exchangeability are deductible in accordance with applicable tax laws, increases in exchangeability have the effect of lowering the Company’snon-GAAP effective tax rate and thereby increasing Newmark’spost-tax Adjusted Earnings.
Management usespost-tax Adjusted Earnings in part to help it evaluate, among other things, the overall performance of the business, to make decisions with respect to the Company’s operations, and to determine the amount of dividends payable to common stockholders and distributions payable to holders of limited partnership units.